Herbs perennial, robust, or subshrubs, stoloniferous, dioecious. Stems brownish when dry, erect, much branched, to 100 cm tall, woody at base, succulent distally; stems and petioles glabrous or sparsely covered with multicellular hairs and squamae above. Stipules persistent, triangular, ca. 1 mm, membranous; petiole unequal in length, 1-6 cm; leaf blade brownish green when dry, narrowly ovate or oblong-lanceolate, unequal in size, 6-12 × 4-5 cm, herbaceous, 3-veined, lateral veins many, regularly transverse, abaxial surface pubescent along veins, adaxial surface sparsely pilose, cystoliths fusiform on both surfaces, base rounded, margin crenulate, apex acuminate, acumen dentate. Inflorescences in pairs; male inflorescence a cymose panicle, 1-2 cm overall, peduncle thin and short, sparsely pubescent; female inflorescence shorter; bracts linear-lanceolate, ca. 0.6 mm. Male flowers pedicellate, in bud obovoid, ca. 0.7 mm; perianth lobes 4, oblong-ovate, connate at base, subapically corniculate, glabrous; stamens 4; rudimentary ovary minute, conic. Female perianth lobes dimorphic, subequal, abaxial lobe hooded, 1/2 as long as achene, lateral 2 lobes triangular-ovate, membranous. Achene ovoid, ca. 0.5 mm, oblique, smooth, enclosed by persistent perianth. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jun.
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